Two studies reveal that the glaciers are on an irreversible path to liquefying and stand to raise global sea levels by around 4 meters in coming centuries.

Using two decades of satellite observations of six glaciers in West Antarctica, researchers led by Eric Rignot of the University of California, Irvine found unstoppable melting that will probably accelerate in coming centuries. The study appears May 12 in Geophysical Research Letters. In a press conference May 12, researchers noted that the disintegration of the six glaciers could raise sea level by 1.2 meters.

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